Sunday, July 19, 2015

Win a copy of Dangerous Creatures!

Mo's giveaway includes books by authors Michael Pang and Don Trey, so simply scroll through to choose whichever book you wish :) The giveaway ends on August 29!

And in the meantime, read Chapter 1 right here:

Chapter 1.

THE DEAD TRAVEL FAST.

The
words were written on a sheet of paper that had been wrapped around a rock.

I
looked up and down the street in the gathering gloom. Not only was the street
completely deserted, but the neighborhood itself was quiet and still as if no
one had stirred in a long time.

I'd
been sitting in the living room, staring out the window, watching the sun
sinking behind the houses across the street and waiting for William. I'd felt a
strange softness in the air, and a sense of peace settled over me that I hadn't
felt in a long time. I felt as if I had no need to be afraid.

Though
the stars had not yet come out, I'd seemed to see them before my eyes—both
above me and below me. I'd felt myself sinking pleasantly into darkness.

Then
there had been a sudden, sharp crack at the window, and I'd hurried out to see
what it was.

As
I looked around now, a sensation stole over me that I had felt once before. I
felt as if the silence around me was watchful—as if the very air were holding
its breath, waiting to see what I would do.

I
shivered.

I
looked at the note again. Of course, it was likely just a prank. Tonight was a
night that was known for pranks, so there was really no reason for me to read
any great significance into the words. I probably hadn't even been targeted particularly.
I imagined that someone had simply thrown the rock at the closest house and
then run off.

There
was no need for me to be worried. Things had been quiet.

But
whoever had thrown the rock had disappeared quickly.

I
was just turning to go back into the house, when a familiar car turned onto my street.
I quickly folded up the note and pushed it into the pocket of my jeans.

The
car slotted into place behind my grandmother's red sports car, and William got
out. He was tall and lean and dark-haired, and any outside observer would have
guessed him to be about eighteen or nineteen years old—but that guess would
have been off by quite a bit.

As
William walked up to me, he gave me the crooked half-smile that I loved so much.

"Were
you waiting out here for me?"

I
smiled and tried to push my uneasiness away. "Of course I was."

I
glanced down the street. "You didn't happen to see anyone walking—or maybe
running—through the neighborhood on your way over here, did you?"

William
looked at me closely. "Are you sure nothing's wrong? You look rattled."

"No—nothing's
wrong. It's just that—I left the front door open. I really should have closed
it."

I
turned quickly and went into the house with William following me.

GM
met us in the hall—a tall, slim figure with folded arms. Her long silver hair
was tied back in a braid, and the silver cross she always wore stood out
starkly against her black sweater.

"So,
you're here now, are you?" she said shortly. GM somehow always seemed to
grow more formidable whenever William was around.

"Yes,
Mrs. Rost." William, who could look quite formidable himself at times,
often seemed to grow less so when confronted by GM.

She
sighed. "Well, I hope the two of you will have a good time at the
carnival."

"Thank
you, Mrs. Rost," William said.

"And
don't be out too late. I'll be waiting for Katie's return."

"Yes,
Mrs. Rost."

"Well,
you may go now. And don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Yes,
Mrs. Rost. Of course not."

"GM,
please," I said. "This is starting to feel like an
interrogation."

She
waved a hand. "I already said you may go."

"We'll
see you later," I said, giving GM a kiss on the cheek. "And you don't
need to worry. Nothing awful is going to happen. Really."

GM
gave me a skeptical look and then walked with us to the door. As we went out,
she closed it firmly behind us.

"Sorry
about that," I said. "I always feel bad subjecting you to GM's—I
don't even know what you'd call it. She just always seems to be in a bad mood
whenever you're around."

"It's
all right. She isn't entirely to blame for her attitude toward me."

"I
know," I said. "I just wish things could be different."

William
gave me a wry smile. "I learned long ago that there was no point in
dwelling on wishes."

He
turned toward his car.

"William,
wait," I said. "Do you mind if we walk instead of driving?"

He
looked surprised. "You want to walk? It'll be dark soon, and the way over
there isn't exactly well lit."

"I
know," I said. "I just don't feel as if I can sit still right now. And
you can see in the dark, can't you?"

"Okay,"
William said. "If that's what you want, that's what we'll do."

As
we walked down the street, William kept glancing over at me, but he said
nothing.

Before
long we had plunged into the neighboring woods on our way to Hywel's Plaza. In
the winter months, the plaza was largely taken up by an outdoor skating rink. But
in the warmer months, the plaza was used for public gatherings—concerts, farmers'
markets, art fairs. Tonight, the plaza was hosting the Black Moon Carnival—which
was actually a fundraiser for Elspeth's Grove High School. There would be food
and games and music, and I'd heard a new statue was going to be dedicated. There
would probably be quite a few people in costume, too. Black Moon Night—April
19—was also a local festival apart from the school fundraiser—it was like our
own personal Halloween.

As
William and I walked through the trees, I was reminded unpleasantly of the day
back in November when we had met two unexpected—and unwelcome—visitors in these
very woods. Those visitors had come with a warning for me.

Though
I tried to suppress it, a shiver ran through me.

William
reached out to take my hand, and I was comforted by the warmth and strength of
his grasp. But even though William was by my side, I was still uneasy, and I
was deeply relieved when we finally spotted the lights of the carnival up ahead.

We
broke free of the trees.

As
I looked out over the carnival, my mood was lightened by just how bright and
cheerful everything was. Strings of lights crisscrossed the entire plaza,
creating what looked like a canopy of stars. Under the canopy, a small maze of
booths crowded up against a larger-than-life straw figure of a witch, a
colorful carousel, and a stage. A large object sat by the stage under an
enormous canvas tarp, and I figured that that was the new statue, ready for its
unveiling. I could see a crowd of people milling around—some of them in masks
and costumes—and music and laughter floated up to me.

I
felt myself relax even further—this was just an ordinary Sunday night in a
small town. I very genuinely had nothing to worry about.

"What's
with all the witches?" William asked.

"Our
town founder, Elspeth Quick, was unfairly accused of witchcraft up in New
England," I said. "According to the story, she fled south, and guided
by a thin, silver thread of moonlight on an otherwise dark night, she found her
way to what is now the Old Grove. There she was able to wait out her pursuers
in safety—the mysterious thread of moonlight being a sign of her goodness and
purity. And even though Elspeth was innocent of witchcraft, Black Moon Night
has come to be associated with witches in particular and the supernatural in
general."

"It's
a little like Walpurgis Night," William said.

"Walpurgis
Night?"

"That's
when the souls of the dead are released to wander the earth for one night. And
it's also associated with witches—it's the night before May Day."

"It's
a little early for that," I said. "Besides, don't the dead wander the
earth on Halloween?"

"I
always thought of Halloween more as a night to honor the departed,"
William replied. "Walpurgis Night is more like the night when the departed
get to break free and revel a little themselves."

"I
guess this does look a bit like that," I said.

As
William and I walked into the maze of the carnival, I heard a splash, and I
turned to look. One of the booths was actually a dunk tank, and the hapless man
on the stool had just been dropped into the water by a good shot.

William
gave my hand a gentle squeeze. "What do you want to do first?"

"Let's
just walk around," I said. "Maybe something fun will jump out at
us."

The
aisles between the booths were narrow, and with the crowd of people the flow of
traffic was slow. As we passed a booth that sold candy apples, William and I
crossed paths with a brown-skinned girl with curly black hair, and a tall, pale
boy with brown hair that was falling in his eyes—my best friend, Charisse, and
her boyfriend, Branden. The two of them were headed the opposite way, and
though Charisse saw me and smiled, and Branden nodded at me, neither of them
made any effort to stop and talk—nor did they acknowledge William.

Charisse
turned her face resolutely forward, and Branden took his cue from her. The
crowd eased, and they both moved on without saying a word.

I
looked up at William. "They don't mean anything by it."

William
appeared unruffled. "I know. They aren't to be blamed for the way they
react any more than your grandmother is. They can't really help it."

I
was glad that William understood, but at the same time, I wished he didn't have
to. I wished we could be like any of the normal couples that had come to the
carnival tonight. I wished we actually were what we appeared to be—two ordinary
high school students out having a good time.

We
continued on through the carnival, and I spotted Irina Neverov, who was out
with her new boyfriend, Terrance. Terrance was new in more ways than one—he had
just transferred to our school, and he was already a standout on the track
team—even though it was the tail end of the season. There were rumors that he
was a shoo-in for a starting position on the football team in the fall, too. He'd
just arrived, and he was already a star.

Irina
and Terrance didn't stop to talk to us, but that wasn't so unusual. Irina and I
had been friends once long ago. But the passing years and her love for Simon
Krstic—who had also had a crush on me—had driven a wedge between us. There was
nothing between Simon and me, and Irina herself had clearly moved on, but even
so some constraint still remained between us.

Irina's
friends Bryony and Annamaria tagged along behind them. Bryony gave me a long
look and seemed to be on the verge of speaking to me, but ultimately, she, too,
decided not to stop to talk.

William
and I continued on our way, and we were just passing through an area that was
full of game booths, when I heard someone call out my name.

"Katie!
Katie Wickliff! Katie, over here!"

I
turned to see the familiar blond figure of Simon Krstic—he was manning one of
the games. He smiled when he realized that I'd noticed him, and he waved me
toward his booth.

I
glanced up at William. "Do you want to go over?"

"Why
not? At least someone wants to talk to us."

Simon
broke into a grin as we reached his booth.

"Hey,
Katie."

He
gave William a brief nod.

I
looked around the booth. There were several rows of multicolored balloons
affixed to the far wall, and there was a row of stuffed animals and other
trinkets sitting on a shelf above the balloons. Simon appeared to be running
one of those games in which the player threw a dart at a balloon to win a
prize.

"So
how about it, Katie?" Simon asked. "Would you like to give it a try? It's
for a good cause."

"What
are the rules exactly?"

"You
get three darts for a dollar. If you break a balloon, you get a prize."

"That
doesn't sound too hard," I said. "Set me up."

But
three dollars later, I still hadn't been able to successfully make contact with
any of the balloons.

William
was turning the necklace over in his fingers abstractedly, and he didn't even
look up when I pulled him away from Simon's booth.

A
few stalls away, there was a gap just big enough for the two of us to fit into,
and I guided William out of the walkway into it.

"So
what's going on?" I asked. "Why did you want that necklace so
much?"

William
handed his prize to me. "Do you know what this is? By that I mean, do you
know what this is made out of?"

I
looked the necklace over. The stone was thick and green and slightly cloudy in
color. It was suspended from a black metal chain, and it was set into an
intricately worked piece of the same black metal.

"I
don't know what this is," I replied. "But I'm afraid I have to agree
with Simon—this necklace isn't especially attractive. The stone looks like it's
seen better days."

"That
unattractive stone is actually an emerald," William said.

"An
emerald?" I said. "I thought they were—shinier—than this."

"They
are if they're taken care of properly. And one this size would be worth quite a
lot. The chain and the setting are both silver—they're just tarnished. This is
an antique piece of jewelry that's been moldering somewhere for quite a long
time."

"But
you aren't interested in this as an antique, are you?" I handed the
necklace back to William. "There's another reason this necklace attracted
your attention."

"Yes,
there's another reason," William said, turning the stone over in his
fingers again. "I can't understand what this is doing here."

"So
what's so special about it?"

William
looked up at me. "Are you sure nothing was troubling you earlier? Did
anything strange happen to you today? Anything at all?"

I
thought about the note, but I still hesitated to mention it.

"Why
are you worried?" I asked. "Is the necklace something
dangerous?"

William
looked back down at the necklace and didn't reply.

Just
then, I heard a brass band strike up, and William turned to look.

"Sounds
like they're getting ready to dedicate the statue," he said. "Do you
want to go over and watch?"

"William,"
I said, "what about the necklace?"

He
shook his head. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what this is, but I
think I've seen something like it before. There's no cause for alarm yet."

"Yet?"
I said.

William
gave me a reassuring smile. "I misspoke. There's no cause for alarm at
all. This necklace is just a—curiosity."

"But—"

"Katie,
please. I really don't know anything yet." He put the necklace in the
pocket of his shirt and held out his hand. "Let's go see that
statue."

I
wasn't really satisfied with William's answer, but I could tell that he wasn't
going to say any more about it at the moment. I decided to let it drop for the
time being. With a sense of resignation, I took his hand, and we began to walk.

As
I did so, something made me look around, and I caught sight of a familiar face
in the crowd—someone I'd never expected to see in this part of the world. It
was a silver-haired man—and he was moving quickly through the crowd. He seemed
to be headed right toward me.

I
blinked and looked again. The man was gone.

William
turned and followed my gaze.

"What
is it? What's wrong?"

Suddenly,
someone careened into me, and I was knocked to the ground.

I
looked up to see a skinny young man with long black hair struggling with
William.

"I'm
so sorry," the man said. There was a noticeable sneer in his voice. "It's
entirely my fault."

The
man wrenched himself out of William's grasp, and he came away holding the
emerald necklace in his hand.

The
man glanced at the necklace and then looked up at William in surprise.

Just
then, a police officer, burly and paternal, pushed through the crowd and grabbed
the young man by the collar.

"All
right, son," the police officer said. "I've had my eye on you since
you got here."

The
officer's eyes shifted to the necklace in the young man's hand.

"Is
that yours, son?"

The
man simply giggled.

William
helped me to my feet.

"Are
you all right?"

"Yes,
I'm fine," I said. "I'm just a little startled."

The
police officer wrested the necklace from the young man's grasp and held it out
to William.

"Is
this yours?"

William
took the necklace. "Yes, thanks."

"How
about it, son?" the officer said to the young man. "How did that
necklace end up in your hand? You were running through the crowd at a pretty
good clip. Was it an accident?"

The
man leered. "Come now, officer. I think we both know the answer to
that."

The
police officer grew stern. "Do you want to come with me to the
station?"

The
man smirked. "You know, I really think I would like to do that."

If
the officer was surprised by the young man's answer, he didn't show it. "In
that case, I would appreciate it if you would follow me to my car."

"Of
course, officer." The man turned and waved to William and me with a
malicious smile. "Goodbye, kids."

The
officer escorted the young man away, and the two were soon swallowed up by the
crowd.

"What
do you think that was all about?" I asked.

"No
idea." William glanced at me. "Do you want to stay? Or would you like
to go home?"

I
thought fleetingly of the man I thought I'd seen in the crowd—there was no sign
of him now. Perhaps I'd been wrong about what I'd seen—maybe my nerves were
just playing tricks on me.

"It's
okay," I said. "I don't want to go home yet. It's still early—the
festivities have barely started. We should at least get to see the dedication
of the new statue."

William
smiled. "Let's go, then."

We
continued on toward the stage and joined the crowd that was gathering to watch
the unveiling of the statue.

Just
as we reached the back of the crowd, the band stopped playing and a spotlight
switched on. The mayor of Elspeth's Grove, Patrick Robbins, a bearded, robust
man with a perpetual smile, stepped up on stage and walked up to a microphone
on a stand. The big mass of the canvas-covered statue loomed behind the mayor,
broad and imposing in the artificial light.

The
mayor acknowledged the crowd's polite applause and then launched into a lengthy
speech detailing the trials and tribulations of Elspeth Quick on her journey to
our town. He wrapped up the speech by explaining that the statue represented
our town's own journey from Elspeth's original flight to the safe, happy place
it now was—a place where children could grow and thrive without fear.

The
mayor beamed out over the crowd. "The statue has been named Bridging the Years. May it remind us
always of what is best and brightest in the human heart and spirit! Maestro, if
you please!"

The
mayor lifted his hand, and the brass band seated behind him struck up a lively
tune. He then moved toward the statue, taking the microphone with him, and the
spotlight lit up the large canvas mass.

The
mayor smiled at the audience and then pulled on a rope. The canvas that covered
the statue fell away, revealing the large stone figure of a woman. She was
standing on a square pedestal with a beatific expression on her gray face. The
woman was clearly intended to be Elspeth Quick, and her arms were spread out as
if in a gesture of welcome. There was a large stone pool surrounding the figure
of Elspeth, and standing in the pool on either side of her was a boy and a
girl. The two of them were caught in mid-stride, their hands outstretched as if
they were about to take Elspeth's.

The
mayor shouted cheerfully over the music of the brass band.

"Let's
have the fountain now!"

He
raised his hand, and jets of water arched gracefully into the air from the rim
of the pool.

A
murmur ran through the audience, and there seemed to be some sort of
disturbance at the front of the crowd.

"Shut
the water off!" a woman shouted. "There's someone in the pool!"

The
murmurs in the crowd grew louder, and there were more demands for the water to
be shut off.

Two
people rushed forward. Then there were others.

"There's
a man in the fountain!" shouted a gruff voice.

"No,
it's a boy!"

"He's
dead!" someone screamed hysterically. "He's dead!"

The
brass band stopped abruptly, and the mayor's amplified voice rose above the
crowd.

"Ladies
and gentlemen, please remain calm! There's no cause for alarm. I'm sure this is
just a harmless Black Moon Night prank."

From
where I stood, I could see a limp figure being pulled from the fountain. As it
was lifted out, there were screams.

"Ladies
and gentlemen, please! As I said, it's just a prank!"

"It's
no prank!" cried a voice. "It's true! He's dead!"

The
entire crowd surged forward then, and William and I were suddenly pushed along
with everyone else. Soon I could see the dark shape of a body lying in front of
the fountain. There was a thick silver rod protruding from the chest of a
teenaged boy—the body was most definitely real, and it was most definitely
dead.

The
face was turned toward me, and it was a horrifying sight—the eyes were wide and
staring, and there was a dark smear of blood in the corner of its mouth. Adding
to the horror was a strange, mottled-gray pattern like a spider web that ran
all over the body's face and neck and hands.